The design of an iron type golf club head has been on a constant and steady improvement curve ever since the early days of golf. Today's iron type golf club head are not only capable of hitting the golf ball longer, straighter, but are also capable of doing that more consistently.
Golf club designers, in order to achieve the current technological improvement, have manipulated with the center of gravity location, moment of inertia, as well as numerous other factors of the iron type golf club head via innovative design changes that depart from what a conventional iron type golf club head looks like. These design changes include the usage of unique constructions, usage of multiple materials, and even the usage of advanced manufacturing methods. In one example shown in U.S. Pat. No. 8,282,506 to Holt, the inventor attempted increase the moment of inertia of a golf club head to create more discretionary weight by creating a golf club head with a rear cavity with an undercut. In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,554,722 to Erickson et al. illustrates the usage of multiple materials by teaching bi-material weight having a nonhomogeneous structure to be used in a golf club head. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,092 to Mimeur et al. illustrates a method of construction used to improve the performance of an iron type golf club head.
However, as these technological advancements in iron golf club head performance develop, some golfers began to notice that there is more to a golf club than absolute performance. In fact, for majority golfers, the intangibles of a golf club such as the aesthetic appeal, the sound it produces, and the feel that it generates can often be even more important than the performance of the golf club head itself.
One of the key features that affect the sound and feel of a golf club head is the method from which the clubhead is made. Golfers, especially better golfers, prefer the sound and feel of a forged golf club head over that of a cast golf club head. The rationale for preferring a forged golf club head is because it is formed from a solitary piece of steel, without melting down and reforming the structure of the material itself. The drawback of forging a golf club head from a unitary piece of metal is that it is limited in shape and geometry by the inherent forging process; prohibiting extreme geometries from being used.
Based on the preference of golfers for a forged golf club head, combined with the inherent geometric limitations associated with the forging process, it can be seen that there exists a need for a golf club head to be manufactured using the forging process to maintain the improved feel all while still utilizing advanced geometric shapes to improve performance. More specifically, there is a need in the field for a golf club head that maintains the preferred look, sound, and feel of a forged golf club head while exploring advance geometric configurations that were traditionally reserved for a cast golf club head.